12 October 2006
State Department Seeks Leads on U.S.-Born al-Qaida Spokesman
Treason charge to be brought against U.S. citizen for aiding terrorists
Washington – Under its Reward for Justice program, the State Department is offering up to $1 million to anyone providing information leading to the arrest or conviction of an American citizen who has served as an al-Qaida spokesman.
The anti-terrorism program run by State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security has been authorized to pay for information leading to the apprehension of Adam Yahiye Gadahn, known also as Azzam al-Amriki or Azzam the American. The California native is wanted for treason after appearing in several videos sponsored by al-Qaida.
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack issued an October 11 statement in which he says Gadahn “is suspected of being an integral figure in al-Qaida media production, producing videos for external and internal propaganda that advocate the killing of U.S. citizens and catastrophic destruction of U.S. property.”
Gadahn was last seen accompanying al-Qaida’s Number 2 leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, on a video that aired on September 2. It called on American soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq to renounce their allegiance to the United States, and also praised the September 11, 2001, attacks in Washington and New York.
He also appeared in a July 2006 video denouncing the U.S. military presence in Iraq and advocating the murder of U.S. civilians working there.
A case of treason was not been prosecuted by the United States since World War II.
Gadahn also has been added to the FBI’s list of most-wanted terrorists. FBI official Willie Hulon said Gadahn is part of a new breed of home-grown extremists who think nothing of aligning with al-Qaida and betraying their country of origin. Gadahn grew up in Southern California, converting from Christianity to Islam.
The Rewards for Justice program has paid more than $62 million to 40 individuals around the world for information that has led to the capture or killing of known terrorists. (See fact sheet.)
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security Joe Morton said this program is a valuable asset in the fight against international terrorism. It is credited with netting Saddam Hussein’s two sons, Uday and Qusay, as well as 1993 World Trade Center attack planner, Ramsi Yousef, who now is serving a life sentence without parole. (See related article.)
In 2004, the program awarded a $1 million to three Filipinos for providing a lead that permitted the armed forces of the Philippines to locate and eliminate a wanted Abu Sayyaf terrorist, Hamsiraji Sali. (See related article.)
In July, a publicity campaign was launched in Afghanistan to raise the profile of the cash reward program. (See related article.)
Up to $5 million has been offered for information leading to the location of the new leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, Abu Ayyub al-Masri. (See related article.)
The full text of the press release and a transcript of Morton’s remarks are available on the State Department Web site.
For more information, see Response to Terrorism and Remembering 9/11.
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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